50 THE DENIZENS OF THE FOREST 



a long stalk, and watched it with palpitating heart, 

 he was fascinated by the grand sight — 18 hands of 

 coal-black beauty shining like satin in the light 

 filtering through the branches of the trees. 



When we move on from the bison to the stag 

 the beauty is evident enough. A stag carries him- 

 self right royally, and has a rugged, majestic beauty 

 all his own. There are few more beautiful sights in 

 the animal world than that of a lordly stag standing 

 tense with preparedness to turn swiftly, and, on the 

 instant, bound away in any direction. 



Not majestic like the great deer, but of a more 

 airy grace and daintiness, are the smaller deer and 

 antelope. The lightness of their tread, their supple- 

 ness of movement, and their spring and litheness, 

 fill us with delight. 



We now come to the crown of the animal king- 

 dom — man. And in the Sikkim Himalaya are to 

 be found men of all the stages of civilisation from 

 the most primitive to the most advanced. Inhabit- 

 ing the forests at the foot of the mountains are cer- 

 tain jungle peoples of extreme interest simply by 

 reason of their primitiveness. They represent the 

 very early stages of man, and in observing them in 

 their own haunts, we shall understand something of 

 the immensity and the delicacy of man's task in 

 gaining his ascendancy in the animal world and 

 acquiring a greater mastery over his surroundings. 



In these forests teeming with animal life of all 

 kinds man had to hold his own against dangerous 

 and stronger animals, and to supply himself with 

 food in the face of many rivals. He had to be as 



